Local Blogs

About this blog: I am a perpetually hungry twenty-something journalist, born and raised in Menlo Park and currently working at the Palo Alto Weekly as education and youth staff writer. I graduated from USC with a major in Spanish and a minor in jo... (More)

About this blog: I am a perpetually hungry twenty-something journalist, born and raised in Menlo Park and currently working at the Palo Alto Weekly as education and youth staff writer. I graduated from USC with a major in Spanish and a minor in journalism. Though my first love is journalism, food is a close second. I am constantly on the lookout for new restaurants to try, building an ever-expanding "to eat" list. As a journalist, I'm always trolling news sources and social media websites with an eye for local food news, from restaurant openings and closings to emerging food trends. When I was a teenager growing up in Menlo Park, I always drove up to the city on weekends with the singular purpose of finding a better meal than I could at home. But in the past year or so, the Peninsula's food culture has been totally transformed, with many new restaurants opening and a continuous stream of San Francisco restaurants coming south to open Peninsula outposts. Don't navigate this food boom hungry and alone! Feed me your tips on new chefs and eats and together we'll share them with the broader community. (Hide)

Gelato shop to open in Lytton Gateway

The first retail shop to open at Palo Alto's new Lytton Gateway building will be an independent gelato shop owned by a Palo Alto couple who originally hail from Mexico.

Christianne Mares and Jorge Borbolla plan to open Gelataio at 121 Lytton Ave. later than Aug. 1. The shop will be their first food-related business endeavor, with both of their backgrounds in tech.

Gelataio will serve Italian-inspired, California-made gelato made on site with ? you guessed it ? ingredients that are as local and as organic as humanly possible.

"Being that California has great produce and great citrus and berries combined with an Italian passion for doing gelato ? it was a no-brainer for me," Mares said.

Mares, who was born in Mexico, traveled to Hamburg, Germany, after high school to study communication design. She stayed in Europe to work after school and eventually returned to Mexico before ending up "by chance" in Palo Alto.

"When I went to Germany, I learned gelato," she said. "I got to know gelato there."

Years later in Palo Alto, after meeting her husband and having a child, she decided she wanted to "take a chance" on making her love for gelato into a business. The couple went to Italy for a summer of indulgent research, visiting gelaterias in Florence, Lucca, Bologna, Naples and Amalfi.

"We went from gelateria to gelateria, trying everything out, talking to owners to see how they do it," Mares said. "I just really fell in love." (She particularly remembers a gelateria in Sardinia, Pasqualina, that she described as "the point of no return" that made her want to have her own shop in the Bay Area.)

It took them more than a year to find the space, but they've snagged a good one on the bottom floor at four-story Lytton Gateway. The building at the corner of Lytton and Alma streets is anchored by online-survey company Survey Monkey.

The future home of Gelataio at 121 Lytton St. in Palo Alto.

Gelataio will be serving up 11 flavors made from recipes that Mares has developed and that will all be made in an open kitchen inside the shop.

"Making the gelato fresh on premises daily is the key and has huge impact on the flavor and the texture," she said. "This is what we learned in Italy."

Flavors include chocolate, hazelnut, bacio (chocolate-hazelnut), pistachio, toblerone, stracciatella, lemon, mango and strawberry. Mares mentioned she tried some savory gelatos in Italy and might try that out in the new shop.

Beyond typical gelato, there will also be sorbeto (vegan, non-dairy) and gelato made from almonds, soy or coconut milk to accommodate people with allergies or dairy intolerances. Also look out for gelato and sorbeto popsicles. There will also be baked goods, including torta di riso (an Italian rice cake) and gelato cake.

Check out the shop's Facebook page for some sneak peeks of the space and, of course, the gelato.

Posted by Mr.Recycle,
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis,
on Jul 14, 2014 at 1:27 pm

I wish them the best, but there is quite the glut of ice cream in Palo Alto these days (Tin Pot, Scoops, Cream, Baskin Robbins, Ricks, Coldstone, Gelato Classico, Fraiche, Yogurtland, Pinkberry). And they aren't going to benefit from the University Ave foot traffic. They will need to figure out how to stand out, and get people to walk over to Lytton.

Posted by Sam_101,
a resident of Professorville,
on Jul 15, 2014 at 3:23 pm

I welcome the addition. I like the idea that Palo Alto is becoming an ice cream "destination". Let's hope the quality they offer is up there with the likes of Bi-Rite in the Mission or Tin Pot in Town and Country (my current favorites)!

Posted by Bru,
a resident of Crescent Park,
on Aug 20, 2014 at 11:42 pmBru is a registered user.

This is stupid and make me unhappy.

The best ice cream/gelato is practically across the street at Gelato Classico. Why do businesses need to do this. I am quite happy going to Gelato Classico as I have been since the 80's when it opened. Sorry, but if you introduce competition in this market it is just going to drive one, the other or both stores to cheapen their ingredients or service to make up for the loss in business, or quit. I'll not go to this new place out of customer loyalty since I don't think it is possible to get any better than Gelato Classico. ( but I do wish GC would re-introduce their Fresh Peach ice cream ... it was awesome, the only ice cream I've ever tasted that actually tasted like peach)

This other place should open in California St. There used to be an ice cream place there long ago. They need one, downtown PA does not.

Posting an item on Town Square is simple and requires no registration. Just complete this form and hit "submit" and your topic will appear online.
Please be respectful and truthful in your postings so Town Square will continue to be a thoughtful gathering place for sharing community information
and opinion. All postings are subject to our TERMS OF USE, and may be deleted if deemed inappropriate by our staff.

We prefer that you use your real name, but you may use any "member" name you wish.

Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund
For the last 23 years, the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund has given away more than $4 million to local nonprofits serving children and families. When you make a donation, every dollar is automatically doubled, and 100% of the funds go directly to local programs. It’s a great way to ensure your charitable donations are working at home.